Conventionally, as an example, a connector shown in FIG. 8 has been known as a waterproof connector 101 with a waterproof structure having a family sealing member.
The waterproof connector 101 shown in FIG. 8 is provided with a housing 110 having multiple contact receiving cavities 111, multiple contacts 150 received in the contact receiving cavities 111, respectively, a family sealing member 120, and a family sealing press member 130. The family sealing member 120 fits in a depression portion 112 formed at the rear end (the right end portion in FIG. 8, the proximal side edge portion in the contact inserting direction) of the housing 110, while the family sealing press member 130 attaches to the housing 110 from the rear side of the family sealing member 120 and is positioned at the rear side of the family sealing member 120 (proximal side in the contact inserting direction) for pressing the family sealing member 120 against the housing 110.
Each of the contact receiving cavities 111 of the housing 110 is provided with a housing lance 113 which locks with the contact 150 that has is inserted into the contact receiving cavity 111.
Each contact 150 is formed by stamping and forming a metal plate, and is provided with a shaped receptacle portion 151 for receiving a mating contact (not shown); and an electric wire connection portion 152 for connecting an electric wire W. The horizontal cross-sectional shape of the receptacle portion 151 is larger than that of the electric wire W.
Additionally, the family sealing member 120 is a plate-shaped member made of rubber. The family sealing member 120 is provided with multiple insertion openings 121 each having a circular cross-sectional shape, in the embodiment shown, and penetrating through in the contact inserting direction to correspond to the contact receiving cavity 111 in the housing 110. Each insertion opening 121 is provided with a sealing circular rib 122 in close contact with the outer circumferential surface of the electric wire W connected to the electric wire connection portion 152 of the contact 150 so as to provide a waterproof function.
Furthermore, the family sealing press member 130 is provided with multiple through holes 131 each having a square cross-sectional shape in the embodiment shown and penetrating through in the contact inserting direction to correspond to the insertion opening 121 of the family sealing member 120. The horizontal cross-sectional area of each through hole 131 is larger than that of each insertion opening 121.
Specifically, in receiving each contact 150 in each contact receiving cavity 111, each contact 150 is inserted, with the receptacle portion 151 of each contact 150 set as a forehead, into a rear side of the family sealing press member 130 (proximal side in the contact inserting direction), the through hole 131, and the insertion opening 121 of the family sealing member 120. Then, each contact 150 is inserted into each contact receiving cavity 111 and each housing lance 113 locks the receptacle portion 151 of each contact 150, so each contact 150 is locked by the housing 110. The family sealing member 120, used as a waterproof function, and the family sealing press member 130, used for pressing the family sealing member 120 against the housing 110, constitute a waterproof structure 140.
In this situation, in inserting each contact 150 into each insertion opening 121 of the family sealing member 120, the end edge portion or the corner portion in the receptacle portion 151 of each contact 150 makes contact with the family sealing member 120, which may result in damage to the family sealing member 120, in some cases (i.e. the sealing circular rib 122 of the family sealing member 120). For this reason, an end edge portion or the corner portion in the receptacle portion 151 of each contact 150 is rounded to avoid any damage to the family sealing member 120.
As another example, a connector shown in FIG. 9 has been known as a waterproof connector 201 for regulating the insertion operation at an abnormal position of the contact, although it is not for avoiding any damage on the family sealing member directly. The waterproof connector 201 shown in FIG. 9 is provided with a housing 210 with multiple contact receiving cavities 211, and multiple contacts 220 received in the contact receiving cavities 211 of the housing 210, respectively.
Each contact 220 includes a shaped receptacle portion 221 for receiving the mating contact (not shown) and an electric wire connection portion, not shown. Specifically, in the embodiment shown, chamfered portions 226 and 227 that recede to the inner side from the up-and-down and left-and-right outer surfaces of the receptacle portion 221 are arranged at two corner positions out of four corner portions included in the receptacle portion 221, which has a substantially rectangular cross-section. This makes the shapes of opposing two pairs of corner portions 223 and 225, and corner portions 224 and 222 different from each other, and also makes the shapes of adjacent corner portions 222 and 223, and corner portions 224 and 225, in a circumferential direction, different from each other.
The contact receiving cavity 211 of the housing 210 has oblique sides 212 and 213 corresponding to the chamfered portions 226 and 227, respectively, when the receptacle portion 221 of the contact 220 is inserted thereinto at a normal position.
If the receptacle portion 221 of the contact 220 is inserted into the contact receiving cavity 211 at an abnormal position (at the position of 90 degrees rotation), the corner portions 222 and 225 that are not provided with the chamfered portions 226 and 227, respectively, interfere with the oblique sides 212 and 213 to regulate the insertion of the contact 220.
Since the chamfered portions 226 and 227 that are the measure for regulating the insertion of the contact 220 recede to the inner side from the up-and-down and left-and-right outer surfaces of the receptacle portion 221, the inner wall of the insertion hole is not damaged when the contact 220 is inserted into the insertion hole of the family sealing member (not shown).
It should be noted that, however, waterproof connectors such as the waterproof connector 101 shown in FIG. 8 and the waterproof connector 201 shown in FIG. 9 are generally used in the automobile industry, and there is a general need for downsizing the waterproof connector in recent years. Such a need for downsizing the waterproof connector also concerns the downsizing of the contacts, as well. However, the sizes of the electric wires to be connected to the contacts remain unchanged, although the contacts need to be downsized. Specifically, the diameter of the electric wire to be connected to the contact has a certain range (an example range is φ about 1.7 mm to φ about 2.4 mm), and the portion having the largest diameter in the outer shape of the contact (receptacle portion) has to be made smaller than the largest size of the diameter of the electric wire.
In the waterproof connector 101 shown in FIG. 8, if the largest diameter in the outer shape of the contact 150 of the receptacle portion 151 has to be made smaller than the largest size of the diameter of the electric wire W without changing the diameter size of the electric wire W, the outer shape of the receptacle portion 151 is smaller in the insertion of each contact 150 into each insertion opening 121 of the family sealing member 120. Therefore, if the receptacle portion 151 is inserted into the insertion opening 121 in a straight manner, the end edge portion or the corner portion in the receptacle portion 151 will not contact the family sealing member 120 at a large angle and will not damage the family sealing member 120.
However, since the diameter size of the electric wire W remains unchanged, there is a limitation of making smaller the diameter in the horizontal cross-section of the through hole 131 in the family sealing press member 130 arranged at the contact insertion side (rear side) of the family sealing member 120 in order to allow the insertion of the electric wire W having the largest size. Besides, in the insertion of each contact 150 into each insertion opening 121 in the family sealing member 120, the receptacle portion 151 is obliquely inserted into the through hole 131, in some cases. In such cases, the receptacle portion 151 is obliquely inserted into the insertion opening 121 of the family sealing member 120, the end edge portion or the corner portion in the receptacle portion 151 contacts the family sealing member 120 at a large angle, and the family sealing member 120 may become damaged in some cases.
Meanwhile, when the largest diameter in the outer shape of the receptacle portion 151 in the contact 150 is made smaller than the largest diameter size of the electric wire W, it is difficult to round the end edge portion or the corner portion of the receptacle portion 151. Therefore, if the receptacle portion 151 in the contact 150 is obliquely inserted into the through hole 131, damage given to the family sealing member 120 cannot be avoided.
Also, in the case of the waterproof connector 201 shown in FIG. 9, since there is a slight gap between the contact receiving cavity 211 and the receptacle portion 221 of the contact 220, if the largest diameter in the outer shape of the receptacle portion 221 of the contact 220 is made smaller than the largest diameter size of the electric wire, the electric wire will not enter the contact receiving cavity 211, in some cases.